Photo: UMass Chan file photo
Rabies is one of the deadliest infectious diseases, but it is also preventable when treated quickly after an animal bite. A new post-licensure clinical study published in The Lancet further demonstrates that Rabishield, a monoclonal antibody therapy developed by UMass Chan Medical School in partnership with the Serum Institute of India, offers a safe and effective alternative to older rabies treatments.
In 2017, the Serum Institute of India announced the global launch of Rabishield, a U.S.-patented product, in an effort to close the gaps in rabies prevention and reduce the rabies mortality rate in India. Rabies is a fatal viral disease caused by the bite or scratch of an infected animal. While it is rarely fatal in the United States, worldwide it kills more than 50,000 people a year who often don’t have access to the treatment they need. In India, it kills an estimated 20,000 people every year—two people every hour.
In the new study, more than 4,000 patients in India who had high-risk animal bites received either Rabishield plus a rabies vaccine or the traditional equine rabies immunoglobulin plus vaccine. Both groups developed strong immune responses, but Rabishield was better tolerated, with fewer serious side effects. Importantly, no participants developed rabies during a year of follow-up.
“This study reinforces Rabishield’s role in expanding global access to lifesaving rabies post-exposure treatment, particularly in countries where rabies remains a significant public health threat,” said Mark Klempner, MD, professor of medicine and leader of the research team that developed the treatment.
